Peterborough Lido hit by summer wash out as visits tumble

The unseasonable summer downpours have hit one of Peterborough’s most popular attractions – with visitor numbers at the Lido taking a dive this year.

Last year, Peterborough and the rest of the country baked in record breaking temperatures, making the outdoor pool one of busiest sites in the city as people looked to cool off, with swimmers having to book spots.

On July 19 2022, the record Peterborough temperature was broken, with the mercury rising to 39.9C at the Wittering weather station. Bin collections were cancelled, some schools closed early, and train timetables were impacted.

But after a record breaking June in 2023, the British summer weather took a turn for the worse, and this year temperatures did not get anywhere near the scorching highs of last July.

A spokesperson for the Lido said that visiting numbers at the pool in July were 60 per cent down, compared to the same month last year.

However, throughout the whole season, numbers are at about the same level compared to the same point in 2022.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Last summer the UK weather was dominated by high pressure which resulted in warm, dry settled conditions for many for much of the season.

"However this year, while we have seen high pressure build over continental Europe resulting the recent in heatwave conditions there, the UK has seen low pressure systems pushing across the country from the Atlantic brining spells of cool, wet and windy weather.”

And sadly the weather does not look like it will be brighter this weekend coming.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Steven Keates said: “There’s some potentially disruptive weather on the way on Saturday as a deep area of low pressure for the time of year moves from west to east across central areas of the UK. Although it’ll be a wet day for many, Northern Ireland is likely to see the highest totals, with a chance of 40-60mm of rain falling in some spots, but 20-30mm more widely. Parts of north Wales and northwest England could also see some very wet conditions.

“The strongest winds are more likely in southwestern areas of the UK, including parts of Wales, southwest England and along the south coast of England. The most exposed coasts could see gusts in excess of 60mph, but even inland gusts of 50 mph are possible, especially for parts of Wales and southwest England.

“With trees in full leaf, wet ground and the likelihood of a number of outdoor events etc, the impacts of this weather are likely to greater than if it were to occur during the autumn or winter. Winds are expected to ease from the west later in the day. Windy conditions will likely coincide with high tides which could present an additional challenge for coastal areas.”